HOW CAN I EVER LOVE YOU?
by tayaMH
Summary: Knuckles and Rouge have feelings deep down inside for each other but will they ever admit it and if so can they live happly ever after or will their feelings be the end to the other? Read to find out. R


It all started on a roof in station square. Knuckles was standing there looking at the sun going down, standing in his usual pose his arms crossed and standing perfectly straight. Then Rouge broke the silence said,

"hey Knuckles what cha up to?"

"Not that it's any of your businesses but I was just thinking."

"About what me I hope" rouge said.

Knuckles was blushing as he answered the question "in your dreams maybe."

"Well then I guess I better get going." "Bye knuckles" Rouge cooed.

"You are batty" knuckles said smoothly. Rouge gently fluttered almost right up into knuckles face.

"Do you really think that knuckles?"

"What do you mean do I really mean that" Knuckles asked confused?

"Well Knuckles where I come from that means you think I am really cute rouge replied."

"Ah well I…"Knuckles was stuttering. Rouge just put one finger over knuckles mouth. She slowly took her finger down and then she began kissing knuckles, and surprisingly Knuckles was kissing her back. Then Rouge backed away smiling. Knuckles was just standing there arms down by his side eyes wide open shocked at what happened Rouge just said "you later", and flew away.

Knuckles had been standing there just wondering how in the heck that happened. Suddenly a blue strike flew past Knuckles and back again it was Sonic.

"Well if it isn't my old pal Knuckles", Sonic said. "What are you doing you are blushing, sweating, I can hear your heart beat from here, and you've got lipstick on you like you you've been kissing someone!"

"No way, I have not been kissing anyone;" he blushed as he wiped the lipstick off.

"Oh come on Knuckles you can tell me, who was it?"

"I told you it was no one" he said firmly.

"I bet it was Rouge wasn't it I know she has a thing for you."

"I told you I wasn't kissing anyone and even if I did kiss someone why would I tell you?"

Sonic just said "because I am your friend and I am going to bug you until you tell me."

"Well I could squash you like a bug if you did that I will tell you Knuckles said agitatedly." "It was Rouge who kissed me."

"Knuckles are you sure that she kissed you or did you kiss her?"

"She kissed me I think I would know if a girl kissed me or not, he said sarcastically."

"Ok Knuckles but why would she kiss you."

"I don't know but here is what happened I thought I had just insulted her but she took it as a complement and then rewarded me with a kiss."

"Well Knuckles looks like u got a pretty sweet reward."

"I just don't get Sonic I insult a girl and the she kiss me?"

"Hey maybe I should try being nice to Amy and she would leave me alone."

"Do you really mean that Sonic, you don't like Amy?"

"Well I guess it's hard to say when she is in trouble I really feel like I couldn't care more."

"I think I understand how you feel Sonic, Knuckles said understandingly."

"Why, is that how you feel about Rouge hmm…?"

"Knuckles just clinched his fists together and said I don't know Sonic I just don't know I use to be so sure of my feelings and now I feel so many different things sadness, fear, and I think love."

"Wow that is deep Knuckles, I have never seen u so deep in your thoughts and emotions, Sonic said in a wondering shot of voice."

"I know but right now I am feeling something I have never felt before, I feel like, like I don't know, all I know I just have to see Rouge again."

"Don't worry Knuckles you will get your chance." "Well I have to go I don't know why but I feel like I need to see Amy, bye Knuckles", and with that he dashed away with the speed of sound.

Knuckles started for home, which was at the very top of an old office building where he could be a witness to everything. That night Knuckles had a dream,

dream

Rouge was dangling form a cliff and below a bed of spikes she couldn't fly away one of her wings had been broken. Knuckles was running as fast as he could to get to her, but he felt that he wasn't getting any where and he wasn't he was in the fist of Dr. Egg-man who was hundred times his normal size and it felt has if he was squeezing the life out of him, but all he could think about was saving Rouge.

"Stop squirming you are not going to save her she will pay for insolence and betrayal",

Egg-man said in a wicked voice, and then he laughed manically. Then there was a scream of terror it was Rouge she had lost her grip and was now only holding on with for fingers.

"No" knuckles yelled, and then Rouge fell and as she fell to her death she screamed

"Knuckles I love you!"

"NOOO"

end of dream

Knuckles yelled as he sat up in his bed sweating and, breathing hard and then he told himself

"its ok it was just a dream"

or was it, was this dream a way his heart was trying to tell his mind how much he cared or a sign of something to come? The next day Knuckles was watching over the city and really hoping to see Rouge again. Then Knuckles could here something it was the flapping of wings, it was Rouge and she saw him. She stopped dead in her tracks and headed straight for him. As she landed Knuckles began to back away and he bumped into the wall with no where to go he just backed closer to the wall and as she walked closer and closer Knuckles spread his arms against the wall as if he were afraid. She came closer and pulled his head up with her finger and smiled when she saw how much he was blushing. She let go of his face, and he returned his face to the ground. She took her hands and stared to feel his chest and ran them out across his arms and she could feel his heart beat getting faster and faster, and she said

"I never knew I never new you were this strong."

She then lifted his face again his face even redder now she just gave him a kiss on the check and then backed away slowly and took to the sky. Knuckles just sunk to the ground his back still pressed against the wall, his heart beat slowing now.

There was that blue flash again it was Sonic he stopped right in front of Knuckles and said

"wow Rouge just made one heck of a move on you." "Are you going to be ok?"

"Yes I am going to be fine." "Look Knuckles you have to learn not to be so nerves or do you?"

"What do you mean or do I?"

"Well Rouge seems to go for that nervousness trait you have."

"Oh shut up Sonic I wasn't nerves I was just a little tense."

"A little Sonic said!"

"Yea a little, you would be to if a beautiful girl that you loved was feeling your muscles and telling you your cute."

"A girl you love sonic asked."

"Well I mean I it just came out wrong ok."

"Don't get up set about it Knuckles I have to go anyway I promised Amy I would come see her new apartment."

"What's this Sonic the hedgehog doing something nice for Amy?"

"Well it's not like I am doing out of my own free will or anything I just don't feel like I have a choice."

"Sure"

Knuckles said and Sonic dashed away this time with the speed of embarrassment. Knuckles had been thinking, and he decided that he was going to fine Rouge first this time.

Knuckles began his search for Rouge he couldn't find any sign of her any where and then he saw something it was Rouge she was about to land he followed close behind her. She landed on a new but abandon office building Egg-man had inflicted a good amount of damage to it in the past year. Rouge entered the building from the roof top door. And as she did Knuckles was right on her tail. He followed her down a long hall way that was slightly lit. He could see the door she went in it was slightly cracked and he could hear a sound it sounded so familiar. Then he entered the room and as he went in he then realized what that sound was it was bath water Rouge was taking a shower. When Knuckles realized what Rouge was doing he began to back towards the door but as he did he knocked over a table that had a vase on it, the vase crumbled when it hit the floor and Knuckles froze. The water turned off and there was silence and then he herd Rouge calling out

"is someone there?"

Knuckles had been struck with so much fear of where he was and what he was doing that he couldn't speak. Rouge came out of the bathroom she was in a short solid black bath robe, she said

"oh Knuckles its just you"

and she started toward him. As she walked toward him she said

"What are you doing here?"

"I m… I m…" he stammered.

Rouge just got closer and closer until she could put her hand on his face and she looked in his eyes which were almost wet. There was some unknown force pulling them closer and closer to each other until rouge finally put her hands on knuckles shoulders and began to kiss him passionately, knuckles not knowing how he managed it but was able to put his hands around her waste pull her closer and return the passionate kiss. Then Rouge stopped and slowly pulled away with so much hesitation, and said

"you can stay just sit on the couch and I will be right back."

Knuckles was so stunned at what he had done but his legs finally got the message and he was just able to walk over to the couch. As he set down Rouge was reentering the room she had put on her black body suit, she walked over and sat down close to Knuckles, and she began to nuzzle him underneath his chin, and she took his arm and put it around her, and then she said

"tell me Knuckles why are you here?" "Did you follow me, did you find me, or did u just want to see me?"

Knuckles was trying to muter out an answer so as he thought about what she had asked he noticed the warm smooth touch of her hair under his chin as she nuzzled closer to his chest.

Then as if he knew just what he was doing he took his hand and pulled her face up to him so that he could match her face to face eye to eye.

"I... I came to see you I don't know why but I just had to come and see you."

"Can you think of any reasons" she asked putting her hand on his cheek and rubbing it gently with her thumb?

"I can think of a few" Knuckles told her. "One, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen two, you are very persistent in getting what you want," Rouge just blushed as he continued down the list. "Three you are the only one who can make me fill tense,"

"do you mean nerves,"

"yes" he admitted. "Four it's like you always know just what to say to me, and five most importantly I had to see you again because… because…"

"Yes" Rouge said.

"Because I love you Rouge."

Tears flowed from her eyes, and Knuckles pulled her face up and she just smiled and he returned the smile. Then Knuckles just got closer and closer and began to kiss her. Later Rouge backed away, slightly and she stood up off the couch and then offered a hand to Knuckles and he actually accepted her offer and let her help him up. Rouge just noticed that it was twelve at night and she said

"it's late so you can stay the night,"

Knuckles only reply was well "I… I…" , Rouge just took his hand and led him toward a door and has they entered the room she sat him down on the bed and said

"you sleep here and I'll be right back,"

Knuckles was so tired he just crawled to the head of the bed and fell asleep right there. Later Rouge entered the room, and just smiled as she found Knuckles sound asleep. She just crawled on to the bed and got close to him and ever so carefully so as not to wake him put her hand on his face and said to him

"you are so beautiful when you are sleeping."

Then she just lay down on her solder so that she was facing him and soon she fell asleep.

The next morning Knuckles awoke to Rouge's beautiful face he was surprised to find they were not even half an inch apart. He just took his hand and rubbed her face and then gently kissed her, this woke Rouge and just in time to return the good morning kiss. Then Knuckles sat up and began to stretch, but then suddenly turned red, when he heard Rouge get up and say

"good morning Knuckles baby."

"Well I guess I better get going I have to train today."

"Oh really" Rouge said putting her arms around him and her head on his chest "well then you better get going," and then she headed for her boots and gloves, as Knuckles walked out the door.

Knuckles was jumping from roof top to roof top doing flips and cartwheels has he went, he had never felt better. Then he appeared again it was Sonic, he stopped Knuckles dead in his tracks with a

"Hay Knuckles what are you up to?"

"Nothing I have never felt better,"

"would this new found happiness have anything to do with Rouge, Sonic asked"

"Why do you ask that and how would you know, asked Knuckles in a puzzled voice?"

"Fine I will admit I was worried about you last night, and followed you I saw you go in that building after Rouge, I soon to leave but I never saw you come out, now tell me Knuckles did you spend the night there?"

"Well I… it is none of your business any way Sonic."

"You can tell me Knuckles, did you spend the night?"

"I told you it was none of your business?"

"Oh so you did spend the night!" "Did you make any moves?" Sonic joked.

"Oh shut it Sonic I told you it's none of you business I bet you have spent the night at Amy's house!"

"What no way Knuckles why would I do that?" "Any way I have to go, stay out of trouble Knuckles"

and with that he sped a way but this time with the speed of embarrassment. Knuckles had been working out for most of the day and was heading home. He landed on his roof top and then he noticed that rouge was setting on the edge of his bed.

"Rouge" Knuckles said confusedly?

She just got up and walked over to him and said

"so this is your place isn't it Knuckles?"

"Yea I guess you can say that."

She came up to him and took her fingers and put them under his chin and pulled his face closer to hers and she gave him a little kiss.

"Its nice" rouge said getting closer and he said

"it's ok"

also getting closer and then all of a sudden there was a loud explosion and big puff of smoke coming form the east. They both turned to see what it was.

"I have to check that out Rouge I'll be back."

"Wait one second I am going with you."

"But Rouge!"

"Oh no you don't I am going with you!

"Fine you can come."

"Will you take me Knuckles I would fly but when I was on a training flight and something metal shot out and broke my wing," she showed him a small spike, "this is what hit me."

"Ok" he said.

Turning red he began to pick Rouge up and then he was off, it wasn't hard at all Rouge was light as a feather, he looked down at rouge as they went flying from roof top to roof top she had just put her arms around his neck and had her eyes snapped shut and he head on his chest. Soon they arrived and he sat Rouge down, they had seen as they approached the scene it was another one of Egg-man's robot and oddly on the robots hand were those same spikes that Rouge had been shoot with and she noticed it to,

"I bet that is what shot me I knew something that hit me that hard and sent me hurling down to a roof top had to be strong."

He jumped on to a ledge ready to jump down and see what he could do to help and then Rouge grabbed him and putter herself into his arms and told him

"be careful I don't know what I would do If I lost you,"

then she gave him a kiss for luck.

"Don't worry Rouge I will be fine."

He jumped down and saw Sonic was already on the scene and he said

"hey Sonic what's the 411 on this thing?"

"Well it can scan you and find your biggest weakness and fears and use them against you!" "I was told first thing by a TV screen that is now smashed it was Egg-man trying to brag!" "It hasn't scanned me yet its not fast enough" Sonic boasted!

Then as the robot was moving it cracked a building a peace of it was headed straight for Knuckles and a peace hit him a knocked him so that he lost track of what he was doing for a second and that was all the robot needed and with that the robot scanned Knuckles, and then the robot knew just what made Knuckles tick, then all of a sudden the robot stopped and was heading for the building that Rouge was on! Knuckles new just what was going on that robot new that loving Rouge was his biggest weakness and lousing her was his biggest fear! The robot took its fist and smashed the building, and Knuckles could see Rouge falling he ran and ran and was just able to catch her, she was bruised and batter she had been hit by a lot of falling rubble, he picked her up and carried her to safe ally out of the way of harm, he said to her

"are you ok"

he was still surprised that she could fall fifty stories and stay concusses,

"I am fine I just oh!"

She cried and she held her side it had been cut by a peace of metal and then she lost conciseness. "Sonic" he yelled at the top of his longs,

"yea" Sonic answered appearing almost magically.

"If any thing happens to me I want you to make sure nothing ever happens to her will you do me that favor?"

"Why what are you talking about?"

"Well let's just say that robot is mine!"

With that Knuckles ran at the robot and smash with all his might, and he hit that robot, and it toppled over Knuckles had made a huge split in its side. At that moment who else, but Tails was flying in and Amy with him. Amy had jumped up out of the plane and was standing on the wing. Sonic saw them coming and ran towards them he was worried that Amy would fall she didn't have the balance need to stand on the wing of the tornado and he was right because she fell and Sonic was right there to catch her!

"Are you ok Amy?"

Sonic asked her.

"Yea now that I am in your arms again."

And she kissed him, he just turned red as he put her and with that she gave him something.

"This is a min explosive all you have to do is get it in the robot and Tails will blow it sky high" Amy explained.

"Great" sonic said and ran off to do the job.

The robot was just recovering from its knock out and as it was getting up a tone of rubble began to fall Knuckles ran to get out of the way and he thought he was but then out of no where a big rock came at him slam! Luckily he wasn't hurt to badly yet! But his leg was caught under a big hunk of rock and metal, he couldn't break it, it was too big and he had already used up most of his energy. The robot was ready to take advantage of this right away. The robot took its hand and was about to smash him, when Rouge pushed Knuckles out of the way just in time. Knuckles looked up from the ground and he saw Rouge she was on the edge of a cliff that led right into the big pit that had those deadly spikes in it and she didn't have the strength to get up she was about to fall and then she rolled off the edge!

"No!"

And with that he ran towards but she was already out of arms reach and so knuckles jumped over the edge and grabbed her hand and the edge of the cliff with the other! Knuckles had just enough strength to pull him and Rouge up back on to the ledge. While Knuckles was pulling Rouge up, while Sonic was running toward the robot and for that crack that Knuckles had put in it. He ran right by it and threw the explosive into it and gave Tails the thumbs up and the robot went BOOM!!! Then all of attention was on Rouge and Knuckles. Knuckles was just sitting there with Rouge in his arms, she wasn't contuse. Amy walked up beside Sonic and said

"Is she…"

"I don't know" Sonic replied.

A tear fell from knuckles face and ran down rouge's cheek. Knuckles just snapped his eyes shut not wanting to even think that rouge was gone! Then he felt a hand on his cheek! It was Rouge she looking at him.

"What's wrong baby?"

She asked Knuckles with a smooth smile on her face.

He just put his hand on her face and said

"I was just afraid I was going to louse you."

"I will never leave you Knuckles because I love you." "

I love you to Rouge."

And he leaned over and kissed her.

"Give you any ideas Sonic?" Amy asked.

Sonic just turned red. She walked up next to him and took his arm and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Knuckles was beginning to help Rouge up to walk and then they heard something it swooped down and grabbed Rouge. It was Egg-man himself! He hovered high enough so they couldn't reach him and was holding Rouge by her arm out over the edge ready to drop her. Then he spoke.

"So Sonic either hand over the chaos emeralds or well let's just put it this way I have some new toys and she would make the perfect lab rat to test them on." "So what will it be the chaos emeralds or the bats life?"

Sonic just stood there and didn't answer.

"I'll give you awhile to think about it come to my base in an hour and bring the chaos emeralds that is if you want to see the bat alive again."

With that he flew off into the distance. Then Sonic spoke up.

"Well looks like we are going after Rouge."

"I have an idea."

Tails said getting out of the x tornado. Amy had walked over to knuckles and offered a hand to help him up and in that split second he could see Rouge offering her hand just like the night he had been at her house then his real vision came back and he saw Amy. He just shook his head and insisted that he could get up on his own. Tails walked over to Sonic and began to tell him his plane,

"if Egg-man wants the chaos emeralds I say we give them to him" Tails said.

"What are you crazy Tails" Amy said "if we do that the world is doomed!"

"Oh we will give him emeralds but they will be useless to him" and he showed them the emeralds that he had made that resembled the real chaos emeralds, and he said "these are some of the chaos emeralds that I made to at least be similar to the real ones, these are the ones that Sonic already drained the power out of these."

"That's a great idea Tails" Sonic complemented. "Let's get going" Sonic and Tails jumped in the tornado;

"I am going with you Sonic." Knuckles said.

"But you are hurt pretty bad Knuckles you really should go rest." Sonic protested.

"I said I am going with you and you know why so don't pretend you don't!"

"Fine come on then."

Knuckles and Sonic jumped onto the wings of the plane and they took off. Soon they were approaching the island and then Tails did a looped the looped and Sonic and Knuckles jumped off and headed to the door and tails took off to take care of the flying guards. Sonic and Knuckles ran through the base and approached Egg-man's control room,

"wait" Sonic said "this is way too easy!"

"Of course" Egg-man said "it is to easy why I should have to waste all my security measures on you when I could stop you dead in your tracks!"

He pressed a button and a wall raised and there was Rouge laying on a table with three lazars pointed at her she was barley breathing!

"Egg-man what did you do to her?" Knuckles shouted!

"Oh I just gave her a little life or death work out she lost conciseness a long time ago but she might live if I let her, did you bring the chaos emeralds?"

"Yes" Sonic answered.

Then all of a sudden a robot came up behind Sonic and grabbed him and he couldn't break free of its grip.

"I should have known u would pull a stunt like this Egg-man!" "Yes you should have Sonic" Egg-man yelled back!

Then Tails busted in through the door he saw the robot had sonic so he said

"Knuckles catch this" and he throw him a power ring!

Knuckles went gold and he broke every enemy robot in the room with amazing speed, and then there was a loud yell

"no" doctor Egg-man yelled and he said "you will pay" and he pressed the button and the lazars began to fire.

Knuckles ran to rouge and covered her being hit with all three lazars drained the power of gold Knuckles and he returned to his original form and the sound of all this had woken Rouge and she saw Knuckle hovering over her trying to regain his strength and she said

"Isn't this moving a little to fast?"

She said and Knuckles just blushed and began to get up when Rouge grabbed him and pulled him back down a began to kiss him! Tails was helping Sonic out from under some metal and said

"wow Sonic does Knuckles like Rouge?"

"I think he does Tails I think he does."

Then desperately not wanting to Knuckles broke away from the kiss, gasping for the breath that he lost with in the kiss. Knuckles just got up off Rouge and then picked her up in his arms he knew she would be too weak to get out of the base on her own. She just put her arms around his neck and snuggled her face under Knuckle's muzzle. Knuckles had taken Rouge out to the x tornado and was strapping her still numb body in, as Sonic and Tails were coming out of the base. Tails jumped into the pilot seat and Sonic and Knuckles jumped on the wings and took off. They soon landed at Sonic's mansion, a big gift given to Sonic after saving the world during the ARK incident, Rouge hadn't gotten all of her strength back just yet and had fallen asleep, so Knuckles took her inside and Sonic pointed him to a room up the stairs that he could put Rouge in. Knuckles laid her down on the bed and a tear went ran down his cheek. He went out and sat on the edge of the balcony. Soon Rouge had awoken and saw Knuckles sitting out on the balcony and went out to join him. She fluttered right down next to him and went to kiss him but he backed away.

"What's wrong Knuckles" Rouge asked in a worried voice.

"Rouge I want nothing more but to go on like this with you but it can never be."

"What do you mean?" Rouge asked scared to death.

"I have already been away from the master emerald for much too long I got Chaos to watch it for me but he is so weak he can barley maintain his form he may have already returned to his liquid state, I am bound to that crystal for eternity and so you see Rouge I can not ever be with you."

With that Knuckles took to the sky and was gone in less than a minute.

"Knuckles wait" Rouge yelled for him to come back.

She ran from the balcony and down the stairs out the front door hoping to be able to follow Knuckles, she would have flown after him before had she had the strength. She just stood there Knuckles was gone and tears streamed from her eyes.

"I am sorry Rouge" a voice came from behind her and a hand placed on her shoulder. It was Sonic. "I saw the whole thing when I was coming out of Tails workshop."

Rouge did not say a word, tears just ran down her face.

"Look you are still weak and I want you to stay here until you get all your strength back."

Rouge was finally able to speak "I have my strength back I don't want people to think I have gone soft",

"look Rouge don't think of it that way, just think of it as me asking you this as a favor you do owe me a few favors."

"Fine." Rouge said and went back up to the balcony.

A week passed and Rouge hadn't eaten or barley slept the entire week. She had been spending most of her time in that same spot right where Knuckles had told her he could never love her. Sonic stepped out onto the balcony and said

"Rouge you cant go on like this." "Rouge if you really care about Knuckles you need to go to him a let him know that you love him no matter what."

"That's it" she said to her self.

She took to the sky and as she flew she thought to her self "_why did I not think of this before I must go to Knuckles no matter what."_

Knuckles had been sitting next to the chaos emerald for the entire week and did nothing, the only motion he made was when a tear would follow down his cheek he would snap his eyes shut hopping that would make it stop. Rouge landed to on Angel Island and began to run toward the direction of the chaos shrine. She finally reached it she was almost out of breath she but when she saw Knuckles sitting there she regained all of her strength almost instantly.

"Knuckles" she managed to speak up.

"what" Knuckles looked up and saw Rouge standing there, she looked like an angle in the sunlight.

"Rouge" he said in a low, sad, and surprised voice.

"Yes Knuckles I have come back to you."

She walked up to him, he stood as she approached.

She threw her self into his arms and he could feel the tears from her eyes damping his chest as she just got closer.

"Rouge I told you we can't be together." "When you leave the island I can't go with you." He said in a heartbreaking voice.

Rouge had regained her composer and stood strait up and put her hand to Knuckle's face and was smiling. Knuckles was some what alarmed by her sudden tranquility.

"Knuckles who ever said I was leavening the island."

The sun had began to set the sky was red, and orange the perfect setting for a kiss that is so good its only for the end of the story, and so Rouge once again put her self in Knuckle's arms and this time she kissed him and it was like nothing either of them had ever felt before it was so passionate and for the first time they thought maybe it was their happy ever after kiss.

The End?


End file.
